[BennyLT]

Has anyone installed handles on their hard top to make it easier to take on and off and cary?

I was thinking it would be helpful to have them on each side right at the blance point.

[93jeepREDSOX]

I have never seen it, usually with a friend or two it is really easy to take off.

[NJscott]

a friend of mine put them on right beneath the window

[Bigboyky]

do what I did and make up a way to hoist it off. Much easier and can be done all by yourself.

[Ctskip]

I did the hoist to the ceiling, over the garage door thing. Works great. Six pullies and a boat trailer winch bolted to the wall. about 40 feet of wire and looped it for the boards to slide through. I used two 3/4 by 3 fir boards and slid one through the window and the other just underneath the rear window, on the fiberglass. Crank away and up it goes, no fuss or mess. Up out of the way and you can store the doors on the boards if need be. It's a one man show.
Ctskip

[BennyLT]

I dont have a garage, so the hoist is out.

And My wife is the one who needs to help get the roof off, so i need to do somthing so she can help.

[jeeepguy]

Jeep Top Lift

[xxxflhrci]

Originally Posted by BennyLT

I dont have a garage, so the hoist is out.

Gotta a tree?

[BennyLT]

Originally Posted by xxxflhrci

Gotta a tree?

Nope..

It doesnt look like many others have installed their own handles. I looking for a better grip more then a machine to do it for me. So maybe i'll give it a try and see what results i can come up with.

[Cannon]

Buy some milk crates and the both of you step in and out of the jeep together? No, but I'm sure most of us without the time to have 3 guys get together and pull off/put on. I got tired of putting the hardtop on my back and grunting in on and off so I tried and failed the below.

Bad 1. I fastened Eye bolts and pulleys into the studs on my shed (unfinished shed) ceiling. Not enough leverage/too much work.

Bad 2. I fabbed a long "T" to lift the top made out of the same stuff metal sign post are made of - that lasted about a year & didn't want to spend the money on a manuf one.

Bad 3. I fabbed a 12volt motor and rope and attached to the shed ceiling. Had to make sure I had long wire leads or a charged battery. So that eyesore went out the window.


Finally I came up with what you're askin. Sorry no pic, but I bolted on one handle on each side that would get close to the center of gravity.
- centering under the side glass was too far back, nose of hardtop would still get hung up on the nerfbar.
- putting on an angle, just to the front of center of the side glass would work. But I was thinkin "dual purpose now....

Ended up putting about shoulder height at about a 20 degree angle from the rear tip of the door frame-to the bottom forward edge of the side glass. Folks can grab kinda flat handed to get in, and seems kinda easier for them to reach around when trying to get out.
-. Still need two bodies to put on/take off. We both stand on milk crates, but our forward hand grabs the handle, and our rear hand grabs under the window frame. At least I don't have to go solo anymore.

[wickedoffroad]

Good lord, I couldnt imagine solo removing the hardtop....Handles sound like a good idea, just be sure to reneforce the backside where they mount so as to not tear thru the fiberglass when lifting.

[BennyLT]

Originally Posted by Cannon

Buy some milk crates and the both of you step in and out of the jeep together? No, but I'm sure most of us without the time to have 3 guys get together and pull off/put on. I got tired of putting the hardtop on my back and grunting in on and off so I tried and failed the below.

Bad 1. I fastened Eye bolts and pulleys into the studs on my shed (unfinished shed) ceiling. Not enough leverage/too much work.

Bad 2. I fabbed a long "T" to lift the top made out of the same stuff metal sign post are made of - that lasted about a year & didn't want to spend the money on a manuf one.

Bad 3. I fabbed a 12volt motor and rope and attached to the shed ceiling. Had to make sure I had long wire leads or a charged battery. So that eyesore went out the window.


Finally I came up with what you're askin. Sorry no pic, but I bolted on one handle on each side that would get close to the center of gravity.
- centering under the side glass was too far back, nose of hardtop would still get hung up on the nerfbar.
- putting on an angle, just to the front of center of the side glass would work. But I was thinkin "dual purpose now....

Ended up putting about shoulder height at about a 20 degree angle from the rear tip of the door frame-to the bottom forward edge of the side glass. Folks can grab kinda flat handed to get in, and seems kinda easier for them to reach around when trying to get out.
-. Still need two bodies to put on/take off. We both stand on milk crates, but our forward hand grabs the handle, and our rear hand grabs under the window frame. At least I don't have to go solo anymore.

Thanks for the input. That is right along the lines of what i was thinking. I have help, But the job is very daunting to her because she cant get a good grip. the top is not so much heavy as it is BIG. I have so far come up with a possible solution. I can snag (for free) two long handels from a Mack truck cab. they are about 12" long each. them mounted under the window centered on the top's center of balance would allow two hands to lift and balance. Yes i plan on renforcing the backing to prevent dammaging the fiberglass.

I will try to get this done in the next few weeks and post pictures.

[gkainz]

Originally Posted by wickedoffroad

Good lord, I couldnt imagine solo removing the hardtop....Handles sound like a good idea, just be sure to reneforce the backside where they mount so as to not tear thru the fiberglass when lifting.

I remove mine solo all the time. Sawhorses behind the jeep, parallel to the sides. Sit down in the back, reach up and lift, stand up and walk 5 steps, lower it down on the sawhorses. No big deal.

[Ctskip]

It's that lift, stand up and walk part, that gets me. When do you step down to the ground?

I have done it myself a few times and it got old real fast. I used a boat winch and six pullies,with some cable and two boards. Real easy and under $50. Now it's up and out of the way. Single handed too! No more wrestling with it. It sure is akward to deal with. And finding a place to store it was a problem also.
Ctskip

[jay-h]

Drill large holes and use large dia spacers where the bolts go through. The smaller the hole the larger the stress concentration and greater liklihood of crack propagation